Situations Vol. 3 (Winter 2009) © 2009 by Yonsei University Mariah Junglan Min1 [email protected] The Art of Crossing the Line Although the intensive coverage provided to the new all-boy and all-girl bands through the Internet and in more traditional media such as television may make it seem as though such they have long dominated popular music, the current explosion in popularity of idol groups begun only two years ago. What is more, this is not the first time that such groups have stormed the K-pop charts. The first wave of massively popular idol groups was in the late 90s, when a veritable army of teens made their debut as singers. Korean multi-entertainment companies recognized the business potential in well-trained young and attractive stars, and the feverish reception from the public confirmed this. The result was that H.O.T., Sechs Kies, Shinhwa, Fin.K.L., S.E.S., and G.O.D. enjoyed chart success and outstanding album sales. Around 2002, this first golden age of idol groups came to an end. Most of the first wave of idols split up, while some individual members went on to pursue solo careers. Although some groups did continue, with Shinhwa performing as recently as 2008, the moment of the idol group seemed to have passed. For a short time, the K-pop scene was now host to a series of successful solo artists, such as Rain and Yi Hyo-ri, the latter a former member of the all-girl band Fin.K.L. In 2004, the first forerunners of the second wave began to appear, with TVXQ, for example, releasing their first single that year. It was not until 2007, however, that the second wave started to crest, 1 Princeton University 85 with the two most prominent girl bands, The Wonder Girls and Girls’ Generation (Sonyŏ shidae, hereafter SNSD), debuting. Although they have been—and continue to be—wildly and almost equally popular, there is a peculiar distinction in the marketing of SNSD that deserves attention. The marketing of an idol group, whether Korean or non-Korean, depends mostly on the idol image. This may or may not shift from song to song, from album to album. But typically, this image is built around a central “concept”, a certain role or conceit to which the group adheres. For example, in the 90s, the Korean boy band Sechs Kies maintained a rough alpha-male image through powerful dance moves and lyrics oozing bravado. This changed radically with the release of their winter 1998 song “Couple”, a rare major-key song for which they donned fluffy oversized coats and ski gloves in bright solid colors. The image tends to change through the group’s career, in order perhaps to display a musical range or to attract new fans. The marketing image of SNSD, however, has revolved consistently around an emphasis on youthful innocence. This is especially unique considering that even when other girl bands such as Kara, 2NE1, 4minute, and numerous others joined the music scene, SNSD remained the only image to maintain this concept. SNSD made their official debut in summer 2007, with a single called “Into the New World (Tashi mannan segye)”. The name of the group was meant to indicate an era in which girls would take control. The music video seems to support this interpretation, with scenes of group members playing girls who achieve their dreams with inspiring tenacity. Music videos are arguably the most calculated and finely honed aspect of self-presentation available to idol groups. This is because they combine visual and auditory promotional material, can be properly edited, and released at strategic times. 86 For these reasons, the manner in which the group and song subject are treated in a music video is likely to be the best indication of the group’s targeted image. However, since this single was released a few months before SNSD’s first album, and was not widely seen, the group image was still in the process of formation. This is evident in the lack of cohesion and character in the video. Stardom accompanied their album later in the year, however, when they began to perform the song “Girls’ Generation”, a remake of Yi Sŭng-chŏl’s 1989 hit. With lyrics such as “Don’t tease me for being young, I was too shy to say so”, the song relies heavily on the charm of the timid romantic novice. Whereas it is difficult to completely deny the role male fantasy may have played in the creation of Yi Sŭng- chŏl’s original version, the song takes on a drastically literal dimension when sung by nine high-school girls. The narrative POV of the song becomes identical to that of the singer. Though ostensibly a love song, the music video contains no references to romantic relationships of any kind and does not star anyone apart from the group members themselves. The video consists of scenes of SNSD performing, dancing onstage, playing their instruments, and taking part in photoshoots. The choreography uses moves that are reminiscent of such throwbacks to childhood pastimes as jumping rope and stiff-limbed dolls. The gist of the message seems to be a group of girls who are too innocent even to grasp the exact meaning of the love they proclaim, delighting only in their chance to entertain. Nonetheless, the video does not preclude all possibility of SNSD appealing as females rather than children; their baggy sweaters are paired with short shorts, and brief sections of their dance still emphasize the line of their bodies. Their second song from the album, “Kissing You”, continued this trend. Whereas the 87 kiss in “Girls’ Generation” was an occasion for flustered panic, turning the girl’s “trembling lips” to “waves of blue”, the narrator in “Kissing You” is more poised. The song contains lyrics such as “When I close my eyes and kiss your lips”, a more romantically active position than before. Still, the kiss is extremely chaste in nature and leads to such innocent promises as “Thank you, I love you, I’ll only give you happiness” and “You are beside me and in my eyes, and I’ll always be in your arms”. The kiss is as family-friendly as a vow of marriage, underscored by the group’s white outfits, the traditional color of purity. This time, the music video does contain a male figure, but he is a singer from a boy band by the same SM Entertainment company— Tong-hae from Super Junior—and the interaction is not much more than playful. His recognizable professional link to the group puts him, as sŏnbae, in the position of an older mentor rather than a romantic interest. But perhaps the most significant concept in “Kissing You” is the extensive use of lollipops as stage props. In the music video and live performances, SNSD treat these lollipops as they would fans or pom-poms, merely as something they happen to be holding in their hands. In stark contrast with the way in which France Gall’s 1966 song about lollipops—“Les Sucettes”—was definitively and horrifyingly phallic, the use of the same image in SNSD’s video maintains it as an icon of prepubescent female sexuality. SNSD resumed activities in early 2009 with “Gee”, returning to their theme of the ingenue in love. The narrator sings of her “first love story” with lyrics such as “So shy she can’t even look at him, a bashful girl in love”. However, there are occasional hints of greater maturity. “Gee” is their first hit song composed largely in a minor key, and the male figure in the music video plays a more significant role. The individual in question is Min-ho of SHINee, another boy band from SM Entertainment. In the video, Min-ho acts as an employee in a clothing store in which the SNSD members are 88 mannequins. The mannequin is another icon frequently perceived as sexual, with its origins going back perhaps as far as the story of Pygmalion and Galatea. The appeal stems partly from the mannequin embodying the ideal female figure and partly from the lack of self-will of an inanimate object. At the beginning of the video, this is precisely what is highlighted, as the man is seen carrying and arranging the mannequin girls to his satisfaction. This obedience is somewhat akin to the credulity of the wide-eyed innocent, the other prominent image employed by SNSD. “Gee” also marks the introduction of their most suggestive dance moves yet—although it is perhaps a stretch to describe them in this way, certainly in comparison with the choreography of other girl bands—which frequently emphasize hips clad in tight skinny jeans. But the fast tempo of the song and the rapid succession of moves mean that any suggestive hint is gone in the blink of an eye, and the dance is performed with a lively cheerfulness that paints them closer to cute than to outright sexy. Certainly the modesty of the lyrics seems to indicate the singers are unaware of any sexual undercurrents. Their most recent song, “Tell Me Your Wish (Sowŏn ŭl malhae pwa) (Genie)”, was one of the biggest hits of summer 2009. The first verse contains the lyrics, “Picture your ideal woman in your head, and look at me—I’m your genie, your dream, your genie”. This is a concise summation of the dichotomy embodied by SNSD since their debut. In order to be consummately popular, they must be everything all at once. Despite their conceptual youthful innocence, they constantly add a sexual tinge to their performances.